When Malik Nabers went down with a torn ACL back in Week 4, it became painfully obvious that the New York Giants needed another wide receiver. But would they be able to get one?

Making trades is not so easy as snapping your fingers, especially when you are in the Giants' current predicament involving a general manager and a coach whose seats are so hot they might as well be sitting directly in lava.

But when the Miami Dolphins parted ways with general manager Chris Grier, you got the sense that wide receiver Jaylen Waddle might be available, and there is no doubt that he would have represented a great fit in New York.

The only obstacle? The asking price.

Apparently, the Dolphins were asking for a first-round pick and more in exchange for Waddle, who turns just 27 years old later this month and is under contract through 2028.

Miami did not have to be in any sort of rush to move Waddle, so its demands made sense. But the price was far too heavy for the Giants to feel comfortable matching.

Big Blue currently has a shot at landing a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and you certainly aren't trading that for Waddle. Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase? Sure, but Waddle, while really good, is not quite on that level.

For as aggravated as New York fans are that the Giants did not make any moves on Tuesday, their decision to stand pat was the correct one.

Parting with significant draft capital for Waddle would have been a bit misguided given the team's situation. If the price were a second-round pick and more? Then yes, you make that deal all day. But there is no way the G-Men should have moved a first here.

We also don't even know if owner John Mara would have given Joe Schoen the green light to actually make such a trade given the fact that Mara may already be planning his next GM hire. Schoen has been in the Big Apple since 2022 and has produced one winning season. Over the last three years, the Giants have gone 11-32. Schoen is almost certainly a goner.

New York will be getting Nabers back in 2026 and could explore much cheaper alternatives than Waddle during the offseason, whether that's via free agency or the draft. And who knows? Maybe the Giants can revisit wide receiver trade talks in March.

For now, though, it didn't make much sense for New York to complete a trade unless the compensation was very bearable. A first-round pick and more does not fall under that category.